SOLD OUT - Martha Reeves and the Vandellas , Support: The Ronnie Scotts All Stars Monday 23rd January - Friday 27th January

Quentin Collins trumpet
Nicol Thompson – trombone
Graeme Blevins – alto/tenor sax
Jim Knight – baritone sax

Reeves was schooled in both gospel and classical music, but it was vocal group R&B that caught her imagination. She began performing in the late 50s under the name Martha Lavaille, briefly joining the Fascinations and then the Del-Phis. In 1961 she joined the fledgling Motown organization in Detroit, where she served as secretary to William Stevenson in the A&R department. Her other duties included supervising Little Stevie Wonder during office hours, and singing occasional backing vocals on recording sessions. Impressed by the power and flexibility of her voice, Berry Gordy offered her the chance to record for the label. She reassembled the Del-Phis quartet as the Vels for a single in 1962, and later that year she led the group on their debut release under a new name, Martha And The Vandellas.

From 1963 onwards, they became one of Motown's most successful recording outfits, and Reeves' strident vocals were showcased on classic hits such as "Heat Wave", "Dancing In The Street" and "Nowhere To Run". She was given individual credit in front of the group from 1967 onwards, but their career was interrupted the following year when she was taken seriously ill, and had to retire from performing. Fully recovered, Reeves emerged in 1970 with a new line-up of Vandellas.

Regarded for their early and mid 1960s work, some of the Vandellas' popular recordings have become part of American culture with their 1964 standard, "Dancing in the Street", being the obvious example. One of the most covered and popular songs in rock and roll history, the song was revamped several times including a 1982 live recording by rock band Van Halen and a 1985 duet by rockers David Bowie and Mick Jagger, It is considered by many as the "Motown Anthem". Another song, 1965's "Nowhere to Run" has been featured during sports events while 1967's "Jimmy Mack" has been said to inspire what Reeves later called a "virtual legend" of the name of the song. Their smash 1963 hit, "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave", has been said to have been the first song to signify the Motown sound or "Sound of Young America" with its doo-wop call and response vocals, gospel backbeat and jazz overtones.

Martha and the Vandellas' "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" and "Dancing in the Street" were inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame and were both included in the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Martha and the Vandellas were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 becoming just the second all-female group to be inducted and the fifth group in the Motown roster to be inducted.

Martha and the Vandellas were inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.

Martha and The Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" was included in the National Recording Registry for its historical, artistic and cultural significance in 2006.